A recent social media post showing subway passengers in New York City has garnered significant attention. The photo, shared on Monday, depicts passengers lined up along the wall regularly as if they had coordinated beforehand.
This behavior appears to be an effort to avoid the subway-pushing crime that has surged in New York subway stations. Subway pushing refers to shoving a passenger onto the tracks just as a train approaches.
The photo, posted on X, has received over 2.27 million views within three days. Local netizens have reacted with a mix of sympathy and cynicism, commenting, “No one can blame them,” “I look like that on my way to work,” and “We live in a world where no one can be trusted.”
Crimes in New York subways are on the rise, with perpetrators employing increasingly diverse methods. This issue has been identified as a significant social problem within the United States.
According to the Associated Press, at around 1:30 p.m. on December 31, a man at the 18th Street subway station in Manhattan pushed a passenger in his 40s, who was looking at his phone while waiting for a train, onto the tracks before fleeing the scene. The victim miraculously survived but sustained severe injuries, including a skull fracture.
In another incident on December 22, a Guatemalan man in his 30s was arrested for setting a sleeping woman’s clothes and blanket on fire aboard a train, resulting in her death.
Last March, a man in his 20s at Lexington Avenue 125th Street station pushed a man in his 50s onto the tracks, where he was struck and killed by an oncoming train. Similarly, in January 2022, a man in his 60s pushed an Asian woman onto the tracks at a subway station near Times Square, resulting in her death.
Recent reports from major international media outlets indicate that there were 573 serious crimes on U.S. subways in 2024, the highest number since 1997. Homicides, in particular, were reported to have doubled compared to 2023.
In response, the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced plans to install more safety fences in subway stations. The initiative will take effect this year and will be funded by a new $9 congestion charge in New York City.
New York Mayor Eric Adams also addressed the issue on social media on January 2, stating that no form of violence will ever be tolerated in the subway system. He emphasized that such random acts of violence are causing anxiety among New Yorkers.
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